Portal:Somalia

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Camels on sale at Baidoa livestock market in Somalia on November 7, 2019

Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on the mainland of Africa, with a seaboard that stretches 3,025 kilometres (1,880 mi).

In antiquity, Somalia was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world, it is among the most probable locations of the fabled ancient Land of Punt. During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuuraan Sultanate, the Adal Sultanate and the Geledi Sultanate. In the late nineteenth century, through a succession of treaties with these kingdoms, the British and Italians gained control of parts of the coast, and established British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland. In the interior, the Dervish State wherein Muhammad Abdullah Hassan was leader successfully repulsed the British Empire four times and forced it to retreat to the coastal region. Italian occupation lasted until 1941, yielding to British military administration. British Somaliland would remain a protectorate, while Italian Somaliland in 1949 became a United Nations Trusteeship under Italian administration, the Trust Territory of Somaliland.

Though, in 1960, the two regions united to form the independent Somali Republic under a civilian government. In 1991, following the collapse of the government of Siad Barre, the Republic of Somaliland unilaterally declared its independence from Somalia, reinstating the borders of former British Somaliland, and has been governed by democratically elected leaders since. Somaliland's independence, however, has not been recognised by any foreign country or international organisation.

Somalia has a population of around 10 million. About 85% of local residents are ethnic Somalis, Somali and Arabic are the official languages of Somalia, both of which belong to the Afro-Asiatic family. Most people in the territory are Muslims, the majority being Sunni.

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Traditional area inhabited by the Somali ethnic group

The Somalis (/soʊˈmɑːliz, səˈmɑːliz/, sə-MAH-leez) (Somali: Soomaalida, Wadaad: صومالِدَ‎, Arabic: الصوماليون) are a Cushitic ethnic group and nation native to the Somali Peninsula. The Somali language is the shared mother tongue of ethnic Somalis, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are predominantly Sunni Muslim. Forming one of the largest ethnic groups on the continent, they cover one of the most expansive landmasses by a single ethnic group in Africa. (Full article...)

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Lido beach

Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, or Jorawar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has an estimated urban population of 4,126,815.

Mogadishu is located in the coastal Banaadir region on the Indian Ocean, which, unlike other Somali regions, is considered a municipality rather than a maamul goboleed (federal state). (Full article...)

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Did you know -

...that Somalia was and still is known as the Nation of Poets?

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Image 1A camel peering over the leafier portions of Cal Madow, a mountain range in Somalia
Image 2A satellite image of Somalia, 2004
Image 3A view of Banderadley Somalia
Image 4A view of the Port of Mogadishu
Image 5The beachside at Merca, an ancient port city in the southern Lower Shebelle province of Somalia
Image 6A view of Bosaso
Image 7The Jubba river near Jamaame
Image 8A view in the Kismayo/Dalxiiska area in 2016
Image 9Lamadaya are waterfalls located in the Cal Madow mountain range in the northern Sanaag region of Somalia
Image 10A Dhulbahante garesa (dervish fort) in Taleh
Image 11Mashmash, a Somali pancake and part of Somali cuisine
Image 12A man carries a huge hammerhead shark through the streets of Mogadishu
Image 13Hargeisa and much of northwestern Somalia is desert or hilly terrain. Here, the thelarchic-shaped Naasa Hablood hills are shown.

Wiki Loves Africa in Somalia images

See Wiki Loves Africa in Somalia at Wikimedia Commons for more Somalia images.

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The following are images from various Somalia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1An avenue in downtown Mogadishu in 1963. (from History of Somalia)
Image 2Embassy of Somalia in Paris (from History of Somalia)
Image 319th century Martello fort in Berbera constructed by Haji Sharmarke Ali Saleh (from History of Somalia)
Image 4Dervish commander Haji Sudi on the left with his brother in-law Duale Idres. Aden, 1892. (from History of Somalia)
Image 5Italian Somalia (from History of Somalia)
Image 6Somalia map of Köppen climate classification. (from Geography of Somalia)
Image 7Engraving of the 13th century Fakr ad-Din Mosque built by Fakr ad-Din, the first Sultan of the Sultanate of Mogadishu. (from History of Somalia)
Image 8Fiat building in Mogadiscio, 1940 (from History of Somalia)
Image 9Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur Chairman of the Somali National Movement that overthrew Barre's regime in Northern Somalia (from History of Somalia)
Image 10Almnara Tower, Mogadishu. (from History of Somalia)
Image 11Exhumed skeletal remains of victims of the Isaaq genocide (from History of Somalia)
Image 12Somali wearing the traditional Jubbad over a Khamiis (Thawb) and a Emama(Turban) (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 13Cinema Italia in Mogadiscio, 1937 (from History of Somalia)
Image 14The Osmanya writing script. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 15Bimaal clan elders and the Bimal Sultan on board Marco Polo discussing matters with Italian figures (from History of Somalia)
Image 16Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi's pioneering use of cannons figured prominently in his Conquest of Ethiopian territories. (from History of Somalia)
Image 17Somali woman building a Somali house (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 18Flag of the Somali Youth League (SYL), the nation's first political party. (from History of Somalia)
Image 19Ruins of the Sultanate of Adal in Zeila, Somalia. (from History of Somalia)
Image 20Merca is an ancient Islamic center in Somalia. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 21Somali women in traditional dirac and shash (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 22Governor's palace in Mogadiscio (from History of Somalia)
Image 23A Somali woman showing a decorated pottery (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 24Somali language books on display. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 25Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, leader of the Dervish movement. (from History of Somalia)
Image 26A traditional dabqaad incense burner. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 27Barawa city was an important medieval centre of Somali enterprise. (from History of Somalia)
Image 28Mosque in Borama, Somaliland (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 29Mogadiscio cathedral (from History of Somalia)
Image 30Taleh was the capital of the Dervish movement. (from History of Somalia)
Image 31Downtown Mogadishu in 1936. Arch of Triumph Umberto to the left, Cathedral and Arba Rucun mosque to the centre-right. (from History of Somalia)
Image 32The Guardafui Channel, between the tip of Somalia and Socotra island. (from Geography of Somalia)
Image 33Dulbiciid in Godaalo, Xudun District, tallest Somalia mountain outside karkaar range (from Geography of Somalia)
Image 34Mogadishan currency – The Sultanate of Mogadishu was an important monetary supporter of Adal. (from History of Somalia)
Image 35Major General Mohamed Siad Barre, Chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Council. (from History of Somalia)
Image 36In 1698, the Portuguese in Mombasa surrendered to a joint Somali-Ottoman force. (from History of Somalia)
Image 37Somali Army soldiers during the operation Operation Indian Ocean, October 2014 (from History of Somalia)
Image 38Somali women performing a traditional dance (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 39Italian stamp from Mogadiscio (from History of Somalia)
Image 40Somali singer Fartuun Birimo wearing henna hand and arm designs. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 41Sheikh Ali Ayanle Samatar, a prominent Somali Islamic scholar. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 42The battle flag of Al-Shabaab, an Islamist group waging war against the federal government. (from History of Somalia)
Image 43Wa'daan warriors ambushed and killed the Italian explorer Antonio Cecchi and most of his troops at Lafoole, west of Mogadishu, 1896 (from History of Somalia)
Image 44Mosque of Islamic Solidarity (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 45AMISOM reinforcement convoy on the Baidoa-Mogadishu road in April 2014 (from History of Somalia)
Image 46Somalis performing the folk dance called Dhaanto (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 47Somali woman in Hargeisa opening speech with traditional greeting. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 48The Silk Road extending from southern Europe through Arabia, Somalia, Egypt, Persia, India and Java until it reaches China. (from History of Somalia)
Image 49Topography of Somalia (from Geography of Somalia)
Image 50Former leader of the Somali Youth League Aden Abdullah Osman Daar who eventually became the first President of the Somali Republic following the union of State of Somaliland and Italian Trusteeship of Somalia. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 51Model of a medieval Mogadishan ship. (from History of Somalia)
Image 52Foreign Minister of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar in a meeting with UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and other diplomats at the UN headquarters in New York. (from History of Somalia)
Image 53US Army helicopter shortly before Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. (from History of Somalia)
Image 54Somali women basket weaving (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 55Neolithic rock art at the Laas Geel complex depicting a camel. (from History of Somalia)
Image 56Map of Italian Somaliland in 1940, when was added the British Somaliland (after the previous addition of the Ogaden in 1936) (from History of Somalia)

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